My earlier comment that Vic & Nick would get their
rewards for the work to improve South Huish Marsh bore friut this morning. At 10.30 I picked up a wader flying into the marsh -after landing amongst a sleeping flock of TEAL took sometime to get good
views - a very nice looking PECTORAL SANDPIPER (188 ) Alan D arrived at 11.40 with the bird in flight , then landed much closer to us and gave vey good views.

At 11.50 BOB B picked up a raptor flying accross the Bay ,
came in over Warren Pt and flew over to the AVON Est - a nice OSPREY

At 16.40 a flock of 13 WIGEON flew around T'stone Marsh and
then west

WED 26 SEPT 2012

With less wind and threrfore a calmer sea offshore movement
could be picked up easier. An hours sea watch from Beacon Pt produced the first BALEARIC SHEARWATER of the month with 2 flying east at 10.10 ( paled into insignicance when I picked up the numbers
past Prawle Pt -only 6 miles east , need to remember we are not a headland ! )A BONXIE east at 10.55, in the bay 2 RAZORBILL, 1 ad MED GULL, 2 KITTIWAKE .

Surprising the people who stop to talk to you when you have
one eye down a scope - This morning 2 walkers from Oregan who commented they did not know our UK birds - they were completing the second leg of their walk around the Coast path - this year from Port
Isaac to Salcombe .

TUES 25 SEPT 2012

Another fairly quiet day- only GANNET offshore with 1
COMMON TERN in the Bay.

Since the work on South Huish Marsh was completed last week
the rain on Sunday has seen the pools return- Vic T and Nick T have done a superb job - the next few weeks should see a return on their efforts.

Poor viz, driving rain and a F6/7 E wind produced one of
the best Sept wader passages for some years as well as some other very good birds. As expected offshore only GANNET.

First good wader was a flyover GREY PLOVER, then on the
beach a small group flew in which contained 2 LITTLE STINT and a CURLEW SANDPIPER. .next were a flock of 15 GOLDEN PLOVER ( 2 more later )First 4 SNIPE flew straight up the valley, then 1 more
accompanied by a JACK SNIPE ( a very early record ) another 5 SNIPE went through later. A GREENSHANK landed briefly on South Huish Marsh where there were 26 TEAL.3 RINGED PLOVER, 26 DUNLIN, 9
SANDERLING on the beaches / marsh.Bob B picked up a BAR TAILED GODWIT,

2 KNOTT 4 TURNSTONE and 5 WIGEON

In the Bay 7 COMMON SCOTER flew east and at 12.00 Bob B had
4pb BRENT GOOSE fly through ( earlest autumn record) 3 groups of TERN during the morning comprised - 3 ARCTIC, 2 COMMON 3 SANDWICH.

With the regular OYSTERCATCHERS a total of 15 species of
Wader- could be a site day record

Roll on Tues to see what may have got left
behind

SAT 22 SEPT 2012

Woke up this morning to the sound of shooting- 2
wildfowlers in the stubble field on the far side of the marsh. What at first looked like 30 corpses were in fact decoys- Canada Goose and mallard ,at least 10 birds shot. This resulted in all
the birds flying off - 200+ MALLARD, 20 TEAL 5 WIGEON , 4 MUTE SWAN. 500+ SWALLOW and 200+ HOUSE MARTIN flew through.

At 09.15 on Leasfoot Beach - 2 SANDERLING, 2 DUNLIN, and
the wader I have been waiting for - a juv CURLEW SANDPIPER ( 186 ), a GREY WAGTAIL flew west, 50 + Meadow Pipit feeding on the golf course, a WHEATEAR on the beach and 6 Blackbird in the bushes (
first for a few weeks )

At 10.00 from Warren Pt there started a fantastic passage
of Hirundines - feeding over a flat calm sea , in the next hour a conservative estimate of 4000+ HOUSE MARTIN, 1500 + SWALLOW flew through

another group of waders onthe beach were3 DUNLIN and a juv
RINGED PLOVER.

There is an unusual juv CORMORANT in the BAY- almost
leucistic- grey head and neck and upper wings with black underwing and black belly- you could get really excited if this bird was on its own a mile offshore .

A 45 min watch at 08.30 from my garden saw 4 BLACK TAILED
GODWIT fly in to join the LITTLE GREBE . 4 GREY WAGTAIL flew over. Both Bob B and I had SKYLARK ( first on the patch for 8 weeks) Bob also had a TREE PIPIT 2 WATER RAIL 3 SNIPE , 3 SISKIN, 20 +
MEADOW PIPIT , a SEDGE WARBLER', also a YELLOW WAGTAIL

From 09.30 walked from Bolberry Down to Soar and back via
the valley . Very few grounded migrants - only 1 WHEATEAR, 9 CHIFFCHAFF, 1 BLACKCAP. It was the viz mig which really caught attention. In 90 mins around 5000 SWALLOW and 1500 HOUSE MARTIN, 195
MEADOW PIPIT, 30 SKYLARK, 50 GOLDFINCH, 1 SISKIN, 2 GREAT SP WOODPECKER, 5 YELLOW WAGTAIL all flying west

Late news for Sun evening - Bob B was the ID guide on a
Salcombe Ferry trip last night - he had good views of an OSPREY, 23 GREENSHANK, 100+ DUNLIN,

1 SPOTTED REDSHANK, 6 MED GULL all adult.

Between 18.30 - 19.00 the T'stone Marsh roosts were -
400 STARLING, 135 ALBA WAGTAIL, 100 SWALLOW and 100 LINNET. A HOBBY also few through

At 07.45 this am an adult SPOTTED REDSHANK ( 185 ) was
briefly on the back pool along with 17 TEAL, 2 SNIPE, 40 SWALLOW ,30 HOUSE MARTIN. a LITTLE GREBE on the front pool. Whist searching for the Spot Red the first SISKIN of the autumn flew
over.

On the marsh - 23 TEAL, 4 BLACK TAILED GODWIT flew in at
07.40, 3 Different BTW at 17.00 .

Walked around Mid Soar Farm / Bolt Head and East Soar- For
Sept very very quiet, surprisingly I did not see any Blue or Great Tit or Wheatear.

A Merlin was in the field by the runway car park along with
some Meadow Pipits and 50 Alba & 6 Yellow Wagtail.

By the Willows and cafe there were - 2 Whitethroat, 7
Chiffchaff, 6 Willow Warbler, 20 Yellow Wagtail and in the pines a juv Pied Flycatcher. A visiting birder i met in the car park had a Spotted Flycatcher.

Bob B ringed just 5 Chiffchaff., 1 REED and 1 SEDGE
Warbler, there was a Spotted Fly by the sewage works

WED 5 SEPT 2012

Summer is with us - not conducive to seawatching but
some good wader passage today

First the ploughed fields at Huxton Cross at 8.30 still 60
RINGED PLOVER and 120

DUNLIN- very restless so could not go through them to seek
any other species. 1 YELLOW WAGTAIL over.

Earlier at 08.00 a flock of 28 BLACK TAILED GODWIT flew
into T'stone Marsh- they were accompanied by a juv KNOTT. 2 WIGEON 20 TEAL and the LITTLE GREBE.still

When the CANADA GEESE flew in 14 BLACK TAILED GOWIT and the
KNOTT moved over to South Huish Marsh and joined by a DUNLIN .A juv WHINCHAT in the reeds.

Good movement of Hirundines before 12.00- 260 SWALLOW, 50 +
HOUSE MARTIN and Bob B had a SWIFT over S M Ley.

100+ CANADA GOOSE on T'stone Marsh which included 2 'SNOW '
GOOSE with 4 hybrid juvs x CANADA GOOSE- they have pinkish bill and legs and have white flashes on wing tips , not seen them here before.

Marsh also held a SNIPE , WATER RAIL LITTLE GREBE and
WIGEON

Bob B ringed 4 WILLOW, 3 CHIFFCHAFF, 4 REED W and 2
SEDGE

MON 3 SEPT 2012

A visit to the ploughed field at Huxton Cross at 08.30
produed a lot more waders than yesterday so I spent over 2 hours going through them and watching more flocks flying over. Totals were - DUNLIN 175, RINGED PLOVER 120, could not find any other
species. These numbers are site maxima for Sept- in the last 4 years the maxima were 85 & 84 respectively . .More visits planned this week to see if this a roosting spot . At
10.05 a SPARROWHAWK spooked them- Visits at 13.00 and 16.45 resulted in no birds .

Only change to birds on T'stone Marsh / garden- REED and
SEDGE Warbler, BLACKCAP, GREEN WOODY and a REDSHANK over.

This afternoon a quick visit to the sewage works
produced 3 SPOTTED FLYCATCHER, 3 BLACKCAP and 2 GREY WAGTAIL .

Nick T reported a GARDEN WARBLER and a SPOTTED FLy in his
garden this morning

SUN 2 SEPT 2012

Having watched the patch for a number of years the build up
of waders on the beaches in Sept has always been one of the yearly highlights - until 2012 . They just have not arrived . At 8.00 this morning Bob B rang to say he had not found any skylarks in the
fields but he did have some waders. Only yesterday we had talked about a field which looked good for a dotterel- Just off the Haxton Cross the field held 70 RINGED PLOVER , 35 DUNLIN and a LITTLE
STINT (184 ), the farmer confirmed the birds had been there on Sat and he also confirmed ther are some Partridge in the fields .

On Thurlestone Marsh this morning the WIGEON increased to 3
, 20 TEAL, and the LITTLE GREBE.

Offshore quite a few GANNET, 6 MANX S'WATER, 1 TURNSTONE
and 2 DUNLIN

SAT 1 SEPT 2012

Rather quiet day for waders and offshore but good records
from Marshes and S M LEY.

An hour from 07.00 looking at the back of T'stone
marsh produced 2 WIGEON , 125 MALLARD, 13 TEAL , a LITTLE GREBE ( first since Feb ) GREEN and GREAT SP WOODY and 2 TREE PIPIT over

Ringing team this am - 13 SEDGE, 5 REED, 9
CHIFFCHAFF, 2 WILLOW , 1 WHITETHROAT, 1 REED BUNTING, 1 MARSH TIT ( 183 )- first of the year and according to Bob B only the second to be ringed in 30 years .